As Jonathan Kuminga prepares to return to the Golden State Warriors lineup on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings, there's another intriguing forward who could be pushing his case for a spot in Steve Kerr's rotation.
Braxton Key has wasted no time acclimatizing to the Santa Cruz Warriors, having been signed to a two-way contract by Golden State last week. The 28-year-old has now played three games with the Warriors in the G League, posting some enormous numbers in the process that's certainly grabbing the attention of fans and those high up in the organization.
Braxton Key could become a defensive weapon for the Warriors
Through three games with Santa Cruz, Key is averaging 24.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 4.7 steals and 1.3 blocks 65.9% shooting from the floor and 62.5% from 3-point range. They're mammoth numbers for any level of basketball, but they're not overly uncommon for Key who has been a dominant force in the G League this season.
In 22 games with the San Diego Clippers prior to his arrival at the Warriors, Key averaged 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, a league-leading 2.6 steals and over a block per game. Given he's at a more advanced age than most players on a two-way contract, there's some intrigue on what Key could provide Golden State right away.
"I think he's (Key) another guy who could step in and play some minutes for us," Steve Kerr said to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area prior to Monday night's win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Key has drawn some comparisons to Draymond Green for his defensive versatility and overall dominance on that end, with G League head coach Nicholas Kerr already sharing those same sentiments after just three games with Santa Cruz.
The issue for Key is that Golden State's rotation is already deep, and will only become even more so with Kuminga's return on Thursday. He may require some injuries or significant foul trouble to get an opportunity, having been active for the first two games of the seven-game home-stand without seeing any playing time.
That issue is two-fold for Key given he may only have a short time left to press his claim. Having already had three years of NBA experience with the Philadelphia 76ers, Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets, Key will subsequently not be eligible for a two-way contract again next season.
That means the Warriors would have to sign him to a standard deal if Key is to have a long-term future with the franchise, and any chance of that is likely to come from a small rotation opportunity actually coming to fruition over the coming weeks.